The EU's stand on migration policy is moving towards the demands of the Visegrad group, one of the best functioning groups in the bloc, says Dr Kai-Olaf Lang, adding that in many respects, Germany and V4 are much closer to each other today than Germany and France.

Yes, European countries have to cut public spending in order to put their finances back in shape. But this should not compromise essential public services such as education, health care or tax collection, writes Klaus Heeger of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI).

As pension reform reaches the top of the EU agenda to counter market speculation over the sustainability of public finances, a pool of eight commissioners is set to meet for the first time on Friday (11 June) to give the green light to a comprehensive roadmap centered on "adequacy" and "long-term sustainability".

There is no evidence that collaboration between governments and the private sector can help cut the cost of major infrastructure projects, a leading health policy expert told EURACTIV Slovakia. David Price of Edinburgh University said public-private partnerships (PPPs) ultimately cost more and deliver worse outcomes.

The financial crisis requires "exceptional policy responses in order to preserve jobs, livelihoods, financial stability and ultimately political support for open markets," write Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir and Jakob von Weizsäcker of the Bruegel think-tank in a November paper.

A number of EU governments could slash their spending by more than a quarter and still provide top-quality public services, said a senior official at the European Central Bank, in what could be viewed as an incursion into member states' fiscal policy.

Both industrialised and developing countries will face a “major public funding crisis” unless governments stop the race to lower business taxes, according to a report from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

The Commission is set to take a dim view of the UK's third year in a row with a deficit of over 3% of its GDP and may conclude, on 11 January, that the UK is in breach of the Maastricht Treaty and refer the matter to the Council.

The euro fell to an eight-month low after the Dutch referendum vote as the Commission renewed its call on member states to work within the revised stability pact's rules to improve the quality and sustainability of their public finances.

The Council is satisfied that the Dutch 'excessive
deficit' is back under control and is calling
for a detailed report on Greece's deficit and debt data
going back to 1997 to be ready in time for
the next EcoFin meeting.